Vehicle-spring cover



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E. E. BOUCHARD VEHICLE SPRING COVER Filed May 25, 1924 llll Patented Apr. 21, 1925.

omreo res EMILE E. IBOUCHZARD, O15 IBURIIING ION, VERMONT.

VEHIODE-SBRTNG COVER.

Application meaima 23, 1,924.. Serial No. 715,312.

Tovall whom it may concern:

B6 it known that I, EMILE E. .BoUoHARD, a citizen .of the United States, residing at Burlington, inthe county of Chittendenand ,5 State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle- SpringCovers; and I do declarethe following to be a .full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

,My invent-ion relates :to improvements in vehicle spring covers whichare adapted to confine a spring lubricant, and the principal 1 object is to provide effective means for sealing a spring cover against the escape of lubricant or the entrance of grit and the like, at points where such escape and en trance are liable to occur, for instance at the eyes of the spring.

Another aim is to provide a spring cover with an opening through which the spout of an oil gun may be inserted for supplying lubricant to the spring, and to make unique provision for normally closing said opening.

With the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, the description being supplemented by the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the manner of sealing the spring cover around an eye of a spring, adaptedfor connection' to the usual shackle, said figure ll illustrating also the manner of sealing the cover around the ends of a spring clip;

Figure 2 is a perspective View of the sealing device, which in Fig. 1, is shown in operative relation with the spring eye;

Figures 3 and 4 are perspective views illustrating the sealing device which is employed at the front end of a front sprin and Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view 4 on line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the drawing above briefly described, a spring cover 1 is shown, of the type illustrated in U. S. Patent 1399248, of Dec. 6, 1921, said cover being secured around a vehicle spring, by means of a plurality of obiled springs 2 which are engaged with the overlapped edges of the cover. At 3, a portion of a spring protected by the cover 1, is shown, said spring being provided with the usual eye 4 which is either connected with a shackle as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, or is directly pivoted to the downturned front end of a chassis bar 5-, as illusmeans for holding lubricant around the eye 4' and preventing the entrance of dirt-at this point. To overcome these difficulties, I have provided the construction described below,

:one form of which is shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the figures of the drawing just referred to, the numeral 6 designates a piece of flexible sheet material which is preferably of T- shape, but may be otherwire formed, to provide a pair of integral strip-like portions 7 and 8 at right angles to each other. The portion 8 is provided on one side with a pad 9 of felt or the like, and said portion and pad are adapted to extend around the spring eye 4, as shown in Fig. 1. The strip portion 7 is wrapped around the end of the spring cover 1, adjacent the eye 4, to provide a collar for holding the strip 8 and pad 9 in place, and the free end of said portion 8 preferably passes between this collar and the cover 1, as shown in Fig. 1. To hold the collar tightly contracted around the spring cover, I preferably provide coil-springs 10 having hooks 11 at their ends which are engaged with the end portions of the striplike part 7, which end portions preferably overlap as shown.

By providing the construction just described, lubricant may be effectively confined around the eye 4 and entrance of dust and the like around the shackle bolt, as well as into the end of the cover 1, is prevented.

In Figs. 3 and 4, the construction is shown, which is preferably used when the spring is directly pivoted to a chassis bar. In these views, a right angular piece of flexible material 6 is shown, having strip-like portions '7 and 8", the latter being provided with a pad 9 to extend between the spring eye 4 and the chassis bar, as shown in Fig. 3, said portion 8 and the pad being preferably stiffened by a layer of stiff fibre or the like 12. so that they will not work out of place. The strip-like portion 7 a is adapted to be passed around the ends of the spring cover 1, adjacent the eye 4, and its ends are connected with each other by springs 10 identical with the springs 10 and 2.

It Will be seen from the foregoing'that I have made a number of distinct advances in the art of protecting vehicle springs against dust and dirt, and providing for effective lubrication thereof. As excellent results have been obtained from the details disclosed, they are preferably followed, but Within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

I claim:

1. A spring cover sealing device comprising a flexible collar strip to surround a spring cover adjacent a knuckle of a spring covered thereby, a packing strip projecting from said collar strip to engage the outer side of the spring knuckle, and means for holding said collarstrip around the spring cover.

2. A spring cover sealing device comprising a sheet of flexible material having striplike portions at right angles to each other, one portion being adapted tosurround a spring cover adjacent a knuckle of a spring covered thereby, the remaining portion of said sheet being adapted to engage the outer side of the spring knuckle, a pad secured on said remaining portion to contact with the spring knuckle, and means for holding the first named portion of the sheet around the SPIIIIO' cover.

3. "spring cover sealing device comprising a sheet of flexible material having striplike portions at right angles to each other, one portion being adapted to surround a spring cover adjacent a knuckle of a spring covered thereby, the remaining portion of said sheet being adapted to engage, the outer side of the spring knuckle, a pad secured to said remaining portion to contact with the spring knuckle, and a coiled spring having hooked ends for engagement with said remaining portion to secure the same around the spring cover.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature.

EMILE E. BOUCHARD. 

